Manifesto:
AISA is a revolutionary, democratic students’ organization. We have led struggles for the democratization of campus life, for a pro-people and scientific education system and for the right to education and employment. Through mobilizing the revolutionary, left, democratic and liberal sections of the student community, we are committed to organizing a broad-based students’ movement as a
n important organ in the revolutionary transformation of Indian society. AISA derives it’s ideological path from the progressive ideologies of democratic movements. We believe that Marxism is the science of revolutionary change and human emancipation. Through waging a relentless struggle against reactionary ideologies and cultural values, we are committed towards a creative and popular propagation of scientific culture, democracy and modern thought. AISA integrates itself with all democratic movements of the Indian people. In giving them a coherent, democratic ideological and political line, we accept the role of CPI-ML as the true communist party. We emphasize the solidarity of the students’ movement with struggles of the working class, especially with revolutionary peasant struggles in our country. The formation of AISA in 1990 came about through the integration of student movements inspired by the ideological line of the Naxalbari peasant revolt as well as those who derived their understanding from the 1974 peoples’ movement in Bihar. Over the years, AISA has emerged as a popular left students’ organization struggling against the anti-student, anti-people right-wing organization like NSUI and ABVP, exposing at the same time opportunist and semi-anarchist trends in the left democratic movement. The hollow “left” rhetoric and ritual activities of SFI and AISF have become completely disconnected with the democratic aspirations of students and the dynamic student movement. Through following an opportunist ideological- political line, they have gradually declined and become marginalized forces in the student movement. Especially in the Hindi-Urdu speaking areas they could never become the representative forces of the aspirations of the student community. Similarly, AISA has provided a positive negation of the semi-anarchist tendencies of those organizations which identify with the Naxalbari movement but fail to distinguish the difference between the mass organization and the party.
AISA is a radical students movement defending the principles of Equality, Gender Justice, Education & Employment from the assault of Neo-liberal Policies.
